Conquer the world
by nFooo
Summary: -Abandoned for now- Shindo Hikaru learned to play go with his grandfather and an old man name Sai. After living most of his childhood on a small island, he comes to Tokyo for the first time and is about to discover how vast the world of Go really is. Friendship and rivalry await our protagonist on his journey towards the Hand of God.
1. Farewells and new beginnings

_Hi, this is my first fan fiction. Uhmm, I'm not much of a writer actually, although I always enjoyed doing writing assignments at school. I discovered this website about a month ago and decided to give it a shot. I'm a big go fan, my strength is about 1 D. Read, review and flame. I know there are tons of things I probably did wrong, but I repeat, this is my first try, so hopefully I will get better. If some people actually read this I'll try to update it steadily. ;)  
__Disclaimer : Hikaru no Go belongs to someone who is Japanese and I am Canadian._  


* * *

Shindo was sitting among a pile of clothing, heaps of manga and a _goban_ covered with black and white stones. The mess in his room was typical for a teenage boy and like a typical teenage boy, he felt right at home in it. The 15 year old boy with blond bangs had his eyes fixed on his laptop screen, where the message : _Zelda resigns _had just appeared.

Hika55 : I'm good aren't I?  
Zelda : What? I want my revenge! You got lucky is all!

Laughing a little, the one hiding behind the handle Hika55, logged off. _Pfff, immature brat_ thought Shindo, not realising his own lack of maturity. It was still relatively early, around 8 pm. Normally Shindo would have kept on playing a little while longer, but tomorrow was an important day. His Ji-Chan had decided to send him to a boarding school in Tokyo, feeling that his education might be lacking. He had been happy to see his grandson excited at the prospect of getting better schooling. In reality, the outgoing boy was looking forward to meeting new friends and playing go against other people.

Shindo had spent most of his life living on a small island which had no more than 2000 inhabitants. When he wasn't playing soccer with his schoolmates or hanging around with his neighbor Akari, he'd spend most of his time playing go with an old man named Fujiwara Sai. He did not know much about his past, other than the fact that go had been a big part of it, seeing how obsessed he was with the game. They had met when he was 5 years old, around the time he moved to the island. Sadly, his parents had passed away in a car crash, and he had been living with his grandfather ever since. Ji-chan was pretty nice, but he missed his parents, although his memories of them were quite scant. At the time of their meeting, the little boy seemed sad and lost. Sai had decided to teach him go, trying to take his mind off the tragic accident. What was meant to be a distraction quickly became a passion and Hikaru had been playing ever since.

At first, he wasn't even able to hold the stones properly, but it did not take long before he grasped the game, showing remarkable memory for game positions. When he was around 8 years old, he started beating his Ji-chan, who previously had seemed invincible. (He had won some regional championship after all.) Sai however, was a different matter. After 9 years of playing almost everyday, Shindo still had trouble getting into the _yose_, even when Sai wasn't trying hard. Lately the games has become closer and he could tell that his mentor was beginning to take him seriously, and it felt good that his teacher and friend considered him a worthy opponent, albeit still clearly inferior.

The reason the teenager had picked up internet go was because Sai had told him that in order to get stronger, he needed to get experience against a multitude of opponents. Talented go players where not one of the small island's natural resources, so he had been happy to find out about netgo and had spent the last two weeks playing almost every night. For the most part, the games were quite ridiculously easy, with a couple of challenging ones spread around, like his last game with Zelda. It had a been a very good game, Zelda had played interesting moves, although he had failed to back them up during the middle game fighting. At least constantly winning on the internet helped him deal with constantly losing to Sai. The teenager was brought out of his reflection by the sound of the doorbell.

''I'll get it Ji-chan'' shouted the teen.

''Allright, no need to scream'' was his grandpa's reply.

On his front deck was his best friend and neighbour Fujisaki Akari, her mahogany hair tied in a ponytail. She had always been taller than him, but a sudden boost in growth had seen Hikaru catch up to her. As soon as he opened the door, she gave him a tight hug. As she broke it up, the boy caught a glimpse of her moist eyes.

''Wahh Akari, what's wrong?'' asked Shindo, clearly at a loss.

''I'm just sad that you're leaving me here alone… I'll have to wait till I go to Tokyo next year to see you again'' was her reply.

''Baka'' said the teen as he pinched her lightly on the forehead, ''We'll see each other during the holidays and it's not like I'll forget about you.''

''Don't call me baka, baka!'' replied the pretty girl, feeling a little bit better. ''And you better not forget me''

The two blushing teens kept on a talking for a little while, before hugging once more and saying their final goodbyes. Feeling a little weird inside, Hikaru pushed thoughts of his neighbor out of his mind and made his way towards the hospital. There was still one person he had to see before leaving his small island behind.

* * *

''But Shindooo! I wanna play, you can sleep on the plane ride, please please please.'' Few people would have believed that the noble gentleman sitting on a hospital was the one producing such a childish sounding plea.

''Ok all right, I'll play you one last time.'' Replied the slightly amused teen.

While setting up the_ goban_, Hikaru noticed how exhausted his friend seemed.

'' Are you sure you want to play? You seem tired'' he inquired.

'' Yes I am sure, I can always sleep later, this is the last time we see each other after all.''

'' What do you mean last time? I'll come back and visit you, for sure!''

'' Right, I meant last time for a while'' replied the feminine looking man while smiling faintly.''

_Maybe I should tell him... but I'm too weak I don't want to see him cry. I much rather our last time together be spent playing the game we both love._

''All right! Let's _nigiri_!'' said the young boy, oblivious to his mentor's inner torment.

He ended up taking white while Sai had black. Klak! Klak! Klak! The game progressed at a good rhythm each player letting the stones flow naturally. Spending a lot of time playing with Sai had shown Hikaru how wonderful the game could be, how each game could turn into a piece of art. The beauty of go was that it took two players to play and two masters could elevate each others' game trying to reach the mystical Hand of God. Hikaru highly doubted that one day two players would be good enough to play a perfect game. However, he had seen Sai play, had seen his fingers seemingly glow when playing unfathomable moves, so he was sure that the Hand of God did exist. He knew he wasn't close enough to Sai's level to bring out the best in him and it made him sad that there was no one else around to try. That did not keep him from trying though. Klak! Klak! Klak! They kept at it for another hour.

''Thank you for the game Hikaru'' said Sai, even more tired than before. ''It was truly one of your best games, especially that splitting move in the center. It won't be long before you reach a level I could only dream of.''

''What are you talking about Sai?''

''I think I know why I was given more time now... It was to show you how to play go.''

''You are seriously starting to freak me out, what are you going on about?''

''Hmm... see you Hikaru'' was the reply as the older man drifted off to sleep.

_Must have been really tired, spouting nonsense like that. Ah well time to be off._

* * *

The sun was shining down on Tokyo and people were bustling about, heading off left and right, important duties awaiting them. In front of a normal looking high school stood a young teenager, looking slightly amazed. _Woahhh, Tokyo is huge!_ Hardly containing his excitement, Hikaru made his way towards the dorms located behind the school, where he would live for the remainder of the year.

Hikaru and his grandfather had selected Haze High because it was one of the few public schools that offered accommodations for students not living in Tokyo. While affordable, it had a good reputation and had one of the top 3 go clubs of the metropolitan area. The last bit had been all the motivation Hikaru needed to accept this selection. His first choice had been Kaio High, but sadly it was too expensive. They had not agreed to give him a scholarship based on his Go skills, stating the lack of tournament results. They hadn't even consented to testing him. He would show them what they were missing out though. He had no idea how strong the representatives for Haze were, but Hikaru was willing to study as hard as it took to take one of three spots and compete in school tournaments.

After registering at the front desk, Hikaru deposited his clothes, laptop, manga and goban in his room before quickly making his way towards the Go club. The lady at the reception had informed him that while the club wasn't open on weekends, sometimes students held informal practice sessions.

Hikaru was relieved to find the door to room 301-B unlocked. The room was of average size, with six long tables, four gobans laying on each of them. The only other occupant, an older looking boy with tidy dark hair and nondescript glasses looked up at the new arrival.

''Hi, may I help you?''

''Yo, I just transferred here and I was looking forward to joining the go club.''

''Of course! You'll have to wait until Monday and speak with Sensei to sign up officially, but do you want to play in the mean time?'' inquired the other student, always happy to have people joining the club.

''Sure''

''So what's your rank?''

''Huh?''

''You don't know what your rank is?''

''No, I only play netgo and against my friend Sai.''

''Hmm, well I'm pretty strong, around 5D amateur. I'm the third board for the club, place down as many stones as you want.''

''What? No way, _nigiri_!''

The older student, amused at the familiar sight of a newcomer not wanting to take handicap, quickly agreed and ended up playing as white.  
_Hmm, so he set up a low chinese fuseki, I guess he has some idea of what he is_ doing. Thought the club veteran._ All right, this isn't really recommended, but let's invade right away and see how he deals with it. _Klak! Klak! Klak! The sound of stones resonated while the game carried on. _ Well, seems he is pretty good, that was a nice way of attacking my stone, now his left side is nicely set up, I guess I'll just take the right and see how it goes from there. _Klak! Klak! Klak!

On the other side, Hikaru was feeling mixed emotions. He had thought that this game would be challenging, but it was clear that the player in front of him wasn't on his level. The early invasion was clearly a mistake, but it was plausible that the older player had been testing him. However, he had let Hikaru completely destroy his right side and now his corner was under attack. His opponent would have to scramble to make two eyes and most likely end up in _gote_, which would give the younger of the two _sente_ heading into _yose._ Looking at the board, he could see plenty of weaknesses to be harassed, whereas his own shapes were solid. Nope, he was leading in points, he had the initiative and he had much more to look forward to than his opponent. Were Shindo, in his opponent's position, he would have resigned already. A part of him was happy that he was obviously strong enough to be Haze's third board, maybe even first. On the other hand, if all his games would be this easy, it would be quite boring. Klak! _What! That's not even the right move to live, I have a tesuji and now... I don't see how his corner can live__. _Klak! Shindo placed his stone in the vital spot. He then went on to answer each of his opponent futile attempts to live.

The bespectacled young man couldn't believe it. His forehead was slightly sweaty, he had fought with all he had yet he had been completely dominated. His opponent even seemed slightly bored... _He's strong... even stronger than our first board Kaga. With him we might be able to beat Kaio this year._ _Damn, this means I'll lose my spot on the team. Guess I'll just have to work hard to overcome the gap between me and Yamagi._

''I resign. Thank you for the game.''

''Thank you for the game'' was the winners reply.

''We haven't even introduced ourselves, what's your name?''

''Shindo Hikaru, you?''

''Tsuitsui Kimihiro''

''All right Kimihiro, ummm nice game, want to review?''

''Sure, although I have a feeling I'll be the only one learning anything'' he replied, while clearing the board.

Quickly recreating the original position, Hikaru started commenting the game.

''So the invasion here was too early, but I have a feeling you were only testing me''

''Yeah, that's right I thought you were a beginner.''

Ignoring the last comment, Shindo continued : ''However after that I had the initiative to attack your right side, here you should have counterattacked, this was way too passive... ''

They kept at it for an hour before bidding each other farewell.

* * *

_So that's it for the first chapter. Coming up next, a new city, a new school and meeting the rest of the Go Club. _

_Go terms and approximate translations:_  
_yose = endgame_  
_fuseki = opening_  
_sente = initiative. You can either have sente, giving you the option of where to take the game next, or a move can be sente, meaning the opponent has to answer. (Or risk losing a lot)_  
_gote = a move that does not have to be answered. _  
_tesuji = skillfull play (awesome moves that do things you did not think were possible, like kill Senpai's corner._)


	2. Haze High Go Club

_So I made a couple of changes, now that I have a better idea where this is going. Shindo is 15 and Tsuitsui is only 5D amateur, which makes him about the level of a group B insei (Which seems reasonable, seeing as most of them are like 12). Haze is a high school instead. For those of you wondering, no Sai is not dead yet, he still has a little bit left to do. As to who he really is, we'll get to that later. I will try to keep this fiction original, but there are bound to be lots of similarities with other fictions. I mean, this is about Shindo and his ascension in the go world, hard to be completely original. For those wondering about Akari, I am actually not really sure what I want to do with that. I'd like to have her involved, but I'd also like to add another potential romantic interest. No clue who though, there aren't many options available. Maybe Nase? Maybe a chinese/korean/american OC? Maybe Akira? I'm just kidding, Akira will be a rival and nothing more. Feel free to give me suggestions on this matter or anything else. Getting reviews feels pretty good, didn't expect it to be so satisfying. Also, I am one win away from 2 Dan on the Korean server Tygem, wish me luck. I really love Go! _

_Disclaimer : It seems that Hikaru No Go belongs to someone else, bummer._

* * *

''Class settle down'' said the teacher, as the second bell was ringing. ''There is a transfer student that will be joining us for the rest of the year. He is new to Tokyo and I hope you will all make him feel at home here. Now please introduce yourself Shindo.''

''Hey, my name is Shindo Hikaru. I've been living on an island, so this is my first time in Tokyo. I haven't had much time to see the city but I hope that I will. My hobbies are Go and soccer, please take care of me.''

Glad that the introduction was over, he headed towards the empty seat next to a serious looking boy with glasses. Hikaru had been slightly nervous heading towards his first class, but that had quickly passed and he was looking forward to making friends.

''Hey, I'm Shindo Hikaru, what's your name?''

''Please refrain from talking to me while the class is in session, I might miss something the teacher says.'' replied the boy, in a condescending tone.

_Great, _Shindo thought, sarcastically, _this is going to be loads of fun._

* * *

As soon as the bell rang, Shindo was on his way towards the Go Club. The day had not been so bad after a rocky start with his seatmate. The rest of the class was pretty cool, one boy even inviting him to join the soccer club. Obviously, Shindo had turned him down, but it was still a nice gesture. They had also told him not to worry about the earlier incident, that Yamagi was that way with everyone. He had ignored him for the rest of the day and things had gone pretty smooth.

His day got even better when he saw what was awaiting him in room 301B. There had to be at least 20 kids, all around his age, playing Go. This was enough to bring a huge grin to his face. He had after all only ever played three people in his life. (Four counting Akari, which Shindo was not.)

As everyone was busy playing games, he headed towards Tsuitsui. One glance was all it took to see he was in deep trouble. His center group was cut off and there seemed to be no way to find life. Unless... it was not obvious at first, but he could counter attack and force his opponent, a tall red-haired boy into a capturing race. The _semeai_ looked complicated though, hard to say who would win. Shindo was still reading it out when he heard his newest friend resign.

''Hmm... you shouldn't have resigned so early'' said Hikaru.

''Clearly, you have no idea what you are talking about. There is no way for the center group to live.'' said a voice from behind him.

Turning around, Hikaru was surprised to see none other than his seatmate Yamagi.

''Then how would you answer this?'' he replied, putting down a stone.

''Like this.''

''But then, white goes here, black has to answer because of the weakness here and then white extending creates _miai_ to capture this stone or cut off blacks weak group and then a capturing race starts for the whole center.''

By the time he was done explaining, Hikaru looked up and saw that everyone had stopped playing. They were all looking at him like he was some kind of alien.

''This is the guy I was talking to you about senpai'' said Tsuitsui, addressing the red-haired boy.

''I see, well then Shunpo, let's have a game and I'll show you how a real man plays go'' he said with a smirk on his face.

''It's Shindo! And aren't you a little arrogant? What happens if I beat you?'' replied the blond-banged teen, getting worked up.

''Hah, don't make me laugh, you are a thousand years too early to defeat me. If you do, you can play first board in the upcoming fall tournament.''

_Well, that will get me first board quicker than I expected_ thought Shindo, hiding a grin.

''But, if you lose you have to wash and polish all the stones every week for the remained of the term.''

_Better not lose then. _''Deal'' said Shindo as he took a seat in front of his opponent.

''What are you doing Kaga, what happens if he wins?'' Shindo heard Yamagi say.

''Fool, are you doubting me? Quiet. I'll show you why I'm first board and you're second.'' answered the arrogant boy.

The game started off at a leisurely pace, with white setting up a framework on the top while Shindo took territory. The _fuseki_ was now over and white's last move had been a three space jump into the center, closing off his _moyo_ and challenging Shindo to invade. The next sequence was crucial to the game and would, in all likelihood, determine the winner. Had Kaga opted for a two space jump, Shindo might have only reduced and taken it to_ yose_, but this clearly called for a do or die move. _Where to play, where to play?_ As if to answer his silent question, his eyes locked on the 8-17 point. Klak!

Now Kaga would have to play as severely as possible, for the normal sequence in this shape would give Shindo too much. Seeing as white was quite strong in the area, this prospect should have been worrisome. However, the young challenger had prepared a _probe_ in the corner, which, depending on how Kaga answered it, would either help his group live or give him the corner. Either way, the upcoming fight felt comfortable. Kaga had played an interesting game, but Shindo could feel the difference in skill. His style was a lot like Zelda, though Kaga was probably weaker. _Guess immature brats play the same way._

A little while later, white resigned. Mad because he was behind, Kaga had tried to both keep the corner and kill black's invasion. This, of course, had not ended well. He had lost his corner and black had escaped towards the center. Shindo thought back to one of his conversations with Sai.

_''A go master can look at the game of one of his students and tell what emotions he felt throughout the game. Whether he was angry and impatient, calm and strong or scared and defensive.'' Pointing to a stone on the board, Sai continued, ''When you tried to kill my invasion, you were obviously angry at it. I agree it seems like an overplay, but as the game showed us, it was not. You have to learn to respect every move your opponent plays, even those that seem weak or out of place. Failing to do so leads to impatient play. However, too much respect leads to playing defensive and being pushed around. The attitude you take towards Go has to be balanced, for as you well know, Go is ultimately a game of balance. Balance between territory and influence, attack and defense, respect and punishment.''_

Shindo was pulled out of his reverie by the sound of Kaga storming off, muttering about some Touya Akira.

''What's his problem? And who's Touya Akira?'' Inquired the recently proclaimed first board.

''You don't know who Touya Akira is? He's the son of the Meijin!'' replied Yamagi, clearly annoyed.

_Guess now that I beat Kaga I'm worthy enough to be spoken to. _''What's a Meijin?''

''WHAT? You are this good at Go and you don't know about the Meijin?''

They kept at it for a little while. Yamagi being surprised at every turn by Shindo's ignorance and his counterpart learning more and more about the Japanese Go World. He discovered that lot's of young kids strove to attain pro status, but only three would obtain pro status each year. Those kids were known as inseis. It seemed that Touya Akira had made Kaga quit being an insei, but no one knew what had happened. Shindo also learned that there were a couple of major tournaments each year and that the Meijin was the most respected title in Japan. It was currently held by Touya Koyo, the man closest to the Hand of God. Knowing he'd only remember half of what he was told, Shindo cut Yamagi short by asking to play a game, which he won without much trouble. The victor then decided to wander around, to see how the other members were faring. He ended up taking on the role of a teacher, giving advice to various players, pointing out their mistakes and suggesting different courses of action. Some of the older students might have been annoyed by a young kid acting like this, but they had seen Kaga lose and knew better than to refuse advice from someone strong enough to accomplish that.

* * *

As he made his way back to his dorm, Shindo was feeling happy. The club members were lots of fun and he had ended up getting to know Yamagi better. The guy was actually pretty cool, but took his studies way too seriously. Still, Shindo respected that and felt like he understood his earlier actions better. The club members had also assured him that Kaga would eventually come around._ Funny how I keep starting off on the wrong foot with some people _ he thought as he collapsed on his bed. Deciding to skip homework, he reached for his laptop and opened up the netgo server. Zelda was on and was playing some guy named Isumi. The end game was well underway and Isumi was on his way towards a 2.5 _moku_ victory. _I'll challenge this guy once it's over, should be a good game._

Zelda made a small mistake in the end game and Isumi ended up winning by 4.5. To Shindo's delight the winner accepted his challenge and ended up with black to Shindo's white. The fighting started quickly with black splitting the upper white framework. Eventually, the one who had issued the challenge was able to save both his split groups and in doing so, ended any chance black had at winning. _Isumi resigns._

Isumi : Thank you for the game

Hika55 : Thank you, nice game.

Isumi : You're strong, are you a pro? Zelda and I are Insei.

_Wait... Yamagi told me about these guys... Ah! They are the ones who are studying to become pro._

Hika55 : What, does that mean you think I'm good enough to become a pro?

Isumi : How old are you?

Hika55: 15.

Isumi : We should meet up. With your skill, you should at least consider going pro as an option.

Hika55: I'm playing in the High School Tokyo Tournament if you want to come, we can meet up after.

Isumi : Zelda and I will be there.

Hika55 : See you there.

* * *

As tired as he was from the days events, sleep continued to elude Shindo. Earlier his mind had been excited and filled with go, but now several questions were haunting him. How could he possibly have the strength of a pro? How strong would that make Sai? Who was he really? Unable to fall asleep, he decided to write him a letter.

_Dear Sai,_

_Tokyo is great! I made friends and joined my school's Go Club. They are nice people but I thought that they would be stronger. Apparently I am now our school's first board for the upcoming tournament. I played some inseis on the internet and they think I am strong enough to be a pro. It seems that 15 years old is a normal age to go pro. I can't really sleep right now. I'll be meeting with those two inseis at my school tournament, I'll get more information and try to make a decision. How does one even become a pro?_

_I know we used to talk about reaching the Hand of God, but I never knew there were so many people who had that goal. I never knew you could make a living off of that goal. How great would that be?_

_Anyways, how are you doing? I hope you are getting better, you must be sick of being stuck in the hospital. I know you don't like netgo, but maybe you could ask my grandfather to lend you his laptop, I miss playing you._

_ This next question might seem weird but, how are you so strong? I've only ever played against you and I'm good enough to go pro. Are you a retired pro? Did you ever play against Touya Meijin? I was told he was the closest to achieving your goal._

_Write to me soon,_

_Shindo Hikaru._

Having laid his worries on paper, the confused boy drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_Next week (I'll try to update weekly) : Tournament time! Sai replies to the letter! Battle for Hogwarts! _

_Go terms and approximate translations:_  
_Miai = a dual situation. If you play A, your opponent plays B. If you play B, your opponent plays A.  
__Moku = points  
__Semeai = capturing race. When two groups are cut off by each other but not alive, the first one to capture the other one wins.  
Moyo = a big territorial framework. The opponent either tries to invade it or to reduce it, depending on the size of the moyo and the surrounding groups.  
Probe = asking move. Will you defend this way or that way? Each answer gives different options to the one probing._


	3. High School tournament : Tokyo Division

_So I lost the important game and am still 1D. After __winning some more, I am once again one win away from 2D. Go me! Reviews are appreciated._

_Disclaimer : Apparently I don't own Hikaru No Go or something, who would have thought._

* * *

Staring down the school corridor, Shindo thought he was lucky to not have enrolled at Kaio High. Sure, it might be one of the nation's top school and have Tokyo's number one Go club. Admittedly the corridors were clean, the floor polished and the lockers huge, but all of it was so pretentious, so inert. It gave the impression the school was populated with fun-hating, lifeless students. Someone like Yamagi would probably have been a perfect fit. They might have become something akin to friends during club meetings and while training for the tournament, but going to a school full of people like him... the thought alone was enough to send shivers down Shindo's back.

The quiet buzz of conversations greeted Shindo upon entering the tournament room. The familiar sound of stones colliding with Gobans made him feel at home. There were long tables set up to fill the whole room with plastic chairs on either side and Gobans spread out on top. Glancing around, he saw that none of his teammates had arrived. He quietly walked up to a game between two boys from an unknown school, dressed in grey uniforms.

''You see the match ups?'' asked one of them.

''Yeah, we don't have to play Kaio until last round, we might even finish second.'' the other boy replied.

''Haze first round might be though'' the blond boy said, looking thoughtful, ''although last year Kaga was the only good player.''

As he was saying this, his hand slipped and he completely messed up the right corner position.

''Sorry, sorry'' he apologized while replacing the stones.

''What are you doing, the position was like this!'' his teammate responded, annoyed.

''No way, that was over here'' was the reply from his equally annoyed friend.

''Here let me do it'' interjected Shindo, while replacing the stones correctly.

''Idiot, I knew that, I just wanted the extra point'' lied one of the teens.

Feeling out of place, Shindo quickly excused himself. _What an annoying brat, no holding back first round, that's for sure._

''Heya first board'' a yawning Kaga called out as he was making his way towards Shindo, ''Ready to win this tourney?''  
''Sure thing'' he replied, while nodding curtly to Yamagi who was trailing behind the taller boy.

As Yamagi was nodding back, a teacher spoke up.

''Alright listen up, for the first match-up we have Kaio High vs Iwano High on table one, next to them is Ayu High vs Kawa High.'' He marked a small pause before going on. ''Next table will have Kawa High vs Sawanara High and finally Haze High vs Kawahagi High in the corner.'' Turning a page on the notebook he was holding, he continued. ''For the girls tournament we have...''

By then Shindo had stopped listening and was making his way towards his table, where his opponents were already seated, waiting in front of empty Gobans with clocks in between. Taking his place in front on the first board, he turned to Kaga and asked him what the clocks were for.

''Idiot! Do I have to explain everything to you?'' lamented the red hair boy before going on about the time limits and use of match clocks in tournaments.

In front of him, the Kawahagi captain was smirking. At first he had been worried that the loud boy in front of him was stronger than Kaga, but it was now clear that they were throwing away the first board. Their second board was good but would probably lose to Kaga so it would all come down to the third board. At least if they lost he wouldn't have to take the blame and risk his position as club captain. Feeling smug, he decided to taunt the opposing team. ''Scared of me are ya Kaga? Sending someone who hasn't played in a tournament before as first board makes your strategy a little obvious, don't you think?''

Before Kaga blurted out something that might get them in trouble, Shindo quickly spoke up.

''I'll bet you one bowl of ramen I make my opponent resign before you do Kaga'' he said, turning his opponent's smirk into a frown.

''You're on, Mr. What are clocks for'' agreed Kaga.

Yamagi couldn't believe his teammates. Kaga had always been a little bit on the immature side, but being together with Hikaru brought out the worst in him. The practice sessions Hikaru had been hosting in his dorm were proof enough of that. At first, Yamagi had been grateful for the opportunity to get stronger, but two evenings of constant bickering was enough and he had declined joining them again. Much to his dismay, both seemed to have gotten stronger, especially Kaga. Truth be told, the difference between himself and Hikaru was too large for him to feel a shift, but his Senpai had started winning regularly at two stones, which had been a pretty even matchup. _At least we shouldn't have any trouble making it to the final. Kaio High won't know what hit them._

* * *

Twenty-two minutes and thirteen seconds later a barely audible ''I resign'' could be heard coming from Kawahagi's second board.

''What was that?'' Kaga asked, grinning.

''I resign'' replied his opponent, a little louder.

''Took you five minutes longer than me, slowpoke'' Shindo interrupted feeling the need to nag his friend. His own opponent was still visibly shaken and had not responded to any of his taunts, acting completely mute since his resign.

''Yeah, yeah whatever, I'll get you some ramen when we go out to eat during the break'' replied the loser, his grin fading slightly.

''Ahhh I brought a lunch today. I'll cash in some other time.''

Their conversation was interrupted by the last member of Kawahagi High resigning.

''Wow even little Yamagi won'' laughed Kaga.

''Obviously.'' He frowned before continuing. ''Now Shindo why don't you go report our win, I'll go get something for dinner, I haven't had the time to eat breakfast.''

''Coming!'' called out Kaga, leaving Shindo alone on his way towards the tournament organizers.

* * *

The cafeteria was large and well kept, much like the rest of the school. The kitchens were closed for the weekend but had to be easily three times the size of those over at Haze High. He was surprised to see a girl and a boy sitting at a table talking quietly while eating. They had a copy of Go Weekly open and seemed to be discussing one of the _kifus._

Feeling sociable, Shindo walked up to them.

''Hi'' was his choice of ice-breaker.

''Hello'' they both replied.

The boy had dark ear length hair and was wearing the Kaio High uniform. He had a very feminine face, like a lead male straight out of a Shojo romance. Not that Shindo had ever read one of those, mind you. The girl seated in front of him, also wearing a Kaio High uniform, had long dark hair and beautiful chestnut eyes. When she smiled, Hikaru felt his heartbeat accelerate a little.

''Are you participating in the Go tournament?'' The boy asked, feeling embarrassed for the blond-banged teen who was just staring at the girl in front of him.

''What? Huh, yeah, what about you guys?'' replied Shindo. Having recovered from his trance, he took a seat next to the boy.

The girl was the one who answered. ''I am, but Touya here is a pro so he can't'' she said with a Chinese accent.

''Like you participating is any fairer.'' replied Touya.

_Must be dominating the girl's tournament if her team's already done as well. _''Wait Touya? As in Touya Akira, the son of the Meijin ?'' inquired Shindo.

At the mention of his father's name, Akira lost his smile. ''Yes, that would be me'' he replied, slightly irked that someone else recognized him as _the son of Touya Koyo._

''Our team's second board knows you I think. You recall a Testsuo Kaga?'' asked Shindo.

''Oh yeah I remember that guy, he was strong at the time but he suddenly quit one day.''

''Well he's here today, you could drop by and say hi in between games.''

Akira looked thoughtful for a moment. ''Sorry I'll be late for my father's study session if I don't leave soon. I was only dropping by to wish Yue good luck, though I doubt she'll need it.''

Having finished eating, he picked up his belongings and bid them both farewell before heading out. ''Have a nice day, I sometimes play at my father's Go salon if you ever feel like dropping by.''

Turning away from her friend, Yue addressed the blond-banged boy ''So, how'd your game go?''

Feeling nervous as he was now alone with the pretty Chinese girl, Shindo had trouble forming complete sentences. ''Easy.''

After waiting a couple seconds, Yue continued. ''Well my game was pretty easy as well, thank you for asking.''

''No problem.''

Hikaru turned red when he realized how stupid he was sounding. It did not help that the girl was now laughing out loud.

Her laughter subsided as she carried on. ''Well thank you for lunch time entertainment, I'm Yue Li, it was a pleasure to meet you. ''

With those parting words she threw out her trash and exited the cafeteria, leaving a dumbstruck teenage boy in her wake.

''Pleasure is all mine, my name is Shindo Hikaru'' he blurted out before smacking his head on the table in frustration while mentally berating himself. _Wow how stupid can you get. You never act like this in front of anyone, ever. What's wrong with you? __She was beautiful, but that shouldn't stop you from saying your own name, dumbass. _Hearing whispers from behind as the cafeteria had slowly started filling up, he stopped smacking his head and quietly left his table.

* * *

''Oh look it's the head smacking guy'' snorted a small blond kid named Takeo. All his life, people had made fun of Takeo. He was small and weak. He was shy, he liked studying and was awful at sports. Joining Sawanara High's Go club had been life changing. In front of a Goban size did not matter, muscle strength did not matter, all that mattered was brains and he had more than enough. In front of a Goban, he was the strong one. He loved to taunt his opponents and then crush them. The look on their face when they realized all hope was gone, when they realized just how powerful Takeo was, it was priceless.

The head-smacker in question was too distracted to pay any attention to the boy sitting in front of him. He was concentrating as hard as he could on the upcoming game, not registering his surroundings and certainly not thinking about how stupid he acted in front of Yue. He had won the nigiri and had a black stone in hand, waiting for the game to start.

''You may now begin''

Klak! He positioned his first stone in the upper right start point. They alternated moves and the _fuseki_ was quite peaceful. The last move had been a one point jump from the side _hoshi_ and white had set up a box-shaped framework on the bottom left side. Klak! Shindo invaded right in the middle of it.

Takeo, was happy about black's last move. It was time to bring on the hurt. Klak! He denied his enemy a base, taking away any eye space and forcing him to run out. _Let's push him around. _Klak! Black quickly jumped out. Klak! Klak! Klak! Takeo felt pretty good about the last sequence. His opponent was caught up in Takeo's fast pace, which was exactly what he wanted. Black was now in deep trouble and had slowed down a little, considering the next move. The last attack felt quite good and as it progressed Takeo's superiority was showing. Klak! _Hah that move is awful, now I can seal him in and there is no way he lives. _With a grin on his face, Takeo played the hand that would ensure his victory. Klak! His fingers had barely lifted from his stone that Shindo was already placing down his own. Klak! _Huh?_

Shindo was quite bored. The small boy in front of him had played a good opening but this last attack was over the top. The weakness in the attacker's shape was screaming out to be abused and his opponent was too preoccupied with maintaining his quick pace to defend it. As they often did while he was playing, one of Sai's speeches came to mind.

_''Go is a game of finesse. Attacking like a brute with no plan will lead you nowhere. When attacking, use aggression to defend your own weaknesses. Carefully plan the direction in which you want to lead your opponent and watch out for weak points in your shape as well as his. When defending, you need to realize what your enemy is planning and work to counter that.'' Using his fan to point at the bottom right corner and then the center, he continued ''your attack was reckless and your defense was devoid of fighting spirit. Please look carefully while I show you more interesting options you could have considered.''_

Looking up, he could see his adversary had lost his superior air and was now struggling to find a way to fix his broken seal._ And the bully becomes the victim_ thought Shindo, smiling at his silent quip. Getting bored of waiting, he looked up to see how his teammates were faring.

Kaga was clearly winning, his opponent struggling desperately to find life in the corner. In Shindo's opinion, there were no more than twenty moves left to play before he would resign. Further up, Yamagi seemed to be in the beginning stages of _yose_. A quick count showed he was trailing by around five _moku_, but his opposition had an exhausting battle left. Yamagi was quite strong in _yose_, hustling for a small point here and there, small points that could easily add up to the six needed to win. _Kaio High here we come._

* * *

The weather outside was pleasant, with a small wind rustling through the coloring trees. Having finished their match the other semi-final was completed, the Haze High school team was resting by the vending machine.

As he took a sip from his diet coke, Shindo turned to Kaga. ''Anything I should know about Kaio's first board?'' _  
_

''His name is Kishimoto, he used to be an insei I think. Last time we played he was a little stronger than me. That was four months ago.''

''Well then I should give him a couple stones handicap, make the game a little challenging at least'' joked his young friend.

''Hey!'' cried out Kaga.

Their previously silent teammate felt the need to speak up. ''Shindo you know that the difference between the two of you is not that large. Even I can tell.''

''Are you sure you can tell, Mr. Barely wins by 0.5?'' Shindo replied.

Kaga, never one to turn down an opportunity to make fun of Yamagi, continued. ''Yeah, why don't you stay out of the grownups business, Mr. Tsuitsui almost took my spot on the team?''

Yamagi just stormed off without a word, as both boys started laughing.

''We might as well go in, the other match is probably finished by now'' said the older boy, with a shrug.

Feeling quite good about their prospects in the upcoming match, Shindo followed the taller boy through the door, only to collide with him as Kaga came to an abrupt halt.

''Why did you stop?'' Shindo spouted out angrily.

''Huh sorry, I was surprised. Kishimoto is second board, this might not be as simple as we thought.'' Sounding a little concerned, he continued. "Kaio High isn't the type to throw away the first board, they have too much pride, so whoever took his place must be strongé''

Looking ahead, Shindo saw a crowd had formed around the final table. Sitting in the third board seat was Yamagi and facing him was a chubby boy with curly hair. Next to him was an intelligent looking older boy with glasses. _Must be Kishimoto._ Finally, the last person, just now taking a seat in front of the first board was... Yue.

* * *

_So that's it. I thought it might be fun to have Shindo reacting to pretty girls rather than being completely oblivious to everything but Go. That'll still be the case, except for a few things, like beautiful foreign girls. I mean, teenage hormones are pretty strong. Next time the tournament concludes and we get Sai's reply to Hikaru's letter I promised last week.  
_

_Go Terms:_

_Fuseki = opening  
Kifu = game record  
Yose = end game  
Hoshi = star point (9 symmetrical points on the board. One in each corner at the 4-4 spot. One on each side, on the fourth line, right in the middle. The last one is in dead center)_


End file.
